TL;DR: If for some reason you ever have to switch from MS Store to Steam (or probably vice versa but not 100% sure), the add-ons you bought through the in-game store are lost. If you buy directly from the vendor, you can re-download and re-install.
I bought MSFS 2020 through the MS Store pre-launch. I love the sim - very happy overall.
Earlier this year MSFS 2020 refused to load. I tried uninstall/reinstall, safe mode, etc. but finally decided to re-buy the product through Steam because I didn’t feel like re-installing Windows from scratch - I have a LOT of other software installed.
I then discovered that the hundreds of dollars worth of add-ons I bought through the in-game store had vanished. I contacted a few of the vendors directly and was told they had no way to verify my purchase and thus I had to re-buy.
I hope this is an exception - someone please set me straight if so.
I love the convenience of the in-game store but I am now buying directly from the vendors whenever possible so I can re-download without hitting this wall.
This, as well as the fact everything from the store is encrypted and I therefore can’t edit them to remove the inevitable mistakes nearly all vendors make in their packages and other issues, are the main reasons I don’t purchase from the store.
The fact that they don’t track/give you a receipt for what you purchase is unconscionable, and should be illegal. Is it illegal in the European Union?
Common sense would suggest that any purchases made, regardless of it being via MS or Steam, would be tied to your MS account. Especially considering that through Steam you can only pay for flight sim credit rather than buying a module as DLC through their store page.
I’d get in touch with support and kick up a fuss about it until you either get your money back or have the modules you’ve paid for reinstated.
It’s not illegal in the UK at least (oh yeah, not EU) but it would be strange to buy anything and not get an invoice or receipt of some kind. I’ve never bought anything through the store for the simple reason, I don’t trust the sim to not CTD or crash when trying to buy something and knowing this now… I’m out.
Add-ons purchased through the marketplace are NOT transferable between Steam and MS Store version. This has always been the case since launch. If you bought them on one platform, that’s it. That’s all you get. You only have access to them through the platform on which they were purchased. On the “other” platform, you’re considered a different user with a different license, even though you may be logged into MSFS with the same account info.
Add-ons purchased from 3rd party stores, however, will work on both MS Store and Steam without issue.
EDIT: One exception is between the MS Store PC version and Xbox. As long as add-ons are Xbox compatible, they’ll be available on both platforms, assuming it’s the MS Store PC version of MSFS. Add-ons purchased via the Steam version are not accessible from Xbox.
Thanks for confirming this. I’m not angry about it but I have to admit I was surprised to find all the addons were no longer listed as “Owned” in the in-game store. The in-game store / marketplace shows my MS account / avatar on both Steam and MS Store versions of MSFS 2020. The look and feel is the same. It really does feel like you are buying licenses that will be associated with your MS account, not your Steam user in one case and MS account in the other.
Sorry this happened to you, and sorry to be the one breaking this news to you. But now you know. Fresh start!
IMHO, Steam is a much better delivery platform overall anyway. I wouldn’t even dream of using the dumpster fire that is the MS Store / XBox Live ecosystem where you have a digital Rube Goldberg machine of multiple loosely connected apps that all need to be updated and running properly to trigger the next until it finally fires up the sim. And when it doesn’t work, you get little to no support.
With Steam, you have your Steam Client and MSFS. No authenticators, Xbox Live, DLC managers, etc running in between you and the sim. It just works.
I’ve encountered issues as well. I find the way it works best is to have the money in my Steam wallet ahead of a purchase rather than adding it at purchase time. I’ve had no problems when using this method.
Indeed. Too many limitations overall. I absolutely despise that whole ecosystem and will never buy anything from it.